Thames Valley Skiff Club is an English skiff and punting club, which was founded in 1923. It is based on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in England, on the Surrey bank between

Sunbury Lock Sunbury Lock is a lock complex of the River Thames in England near Walton-on-Thames in north-west Surrey, the third lowest of forty four on the non-tidal reaches. The complex adjoins the right, southern bank about downstream of the Weir Ho ...

and

Walton on Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

. The club supports two traditional water sports -

skiffing Skiffing refers to the sporting and leisure activity of rowing (or more correctly sculling Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, nar ...

and punting.

Skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...

s are traditional, stable wooden boats which are sculled with a pair of blades. Punts are 2 ft and 1 ft (Best and Best) racing punts. Punting is carried out competitively at regattas under the rules of the Thames Punting Association. Skiffs are raced at

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

s run under the rules of the

Skiff Racing Association The Skiff Racing Association (SRA) is the governing body in the United Kingdom for the sport of skiff racing. The SRA is affiliated to British Rowing. The objectives of the SRA are :(a) To maintain the standard of sculling in skiff and kindred r ...

, and are used for leisure outings such as

Thames meander Thames meander refers to a long-distance journey over all or part of the River Thames in England. Walking the Thames Path is itself a meander, but the term usually applies to journeys using other methods such as rowing, punting, running, or swimm ...

s. The club colours are yellow and black. The club organises a club regatta in July, and also hosts Walton Reach Regatta and the singles and doubles marathon events in October. Over the years, club members have competed and won medals in

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

at the Olympic Games and other international level events. The club provides support and coaching for all levels from beginner to advanced. The Club house is located at the end of Dudley Road in Walton and faces directly onto the river. The club originally boated from Rosewell's Boathouse at

Walton Bridge Walton Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England, carrying the A244 between Walton-on-Thames and Shepperton, crossing the Thames on the reach between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock. The bridge is the first Thames road brid ...

and then to Clark's boathouse in

Sunbury on Thames Sunbury-on-Thames (or commonly Sunbury) is a suburban town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, centred southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other ...

. After 1945 the club moved to the Anglers public house at Walton, before establishing its own boat and club house on a former UDC bathing place.G Dear ''One Hundred Years of Skiff Racing'' British Rowing Almanack 2001 The club has close historical links with

Walton Rowing Club Walton Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, on the River Thames in England. Its large, modern, combined club and boat house is on the Surrey bank of the Thames, facing the Walton Mile straight, at Walton-on-Thames about 400 metres above Sunbu ...

close by.

References

External links

Thames Valley Skiff Club

The Skiff Racing Association
Sports clubs established in 1923 Clubs and societies in Surrey Rowing clubs of the River Thames {{Rowing-club-stub

See also

References

External links